Boris Midney (born October 22, 1937) is a Soviet-born American musician, producer, composer and conductor.
Biography Midney was born in Moscow to a conductor and pianist father and classical singer mother. He studied classical composition and clarinet also teaching himself to play saxophone.
In 1964 he defected from the USSR via the US embassy in Japan. Midney's main reason for leaving the USSR was the censorship of art. After arriving in New York City, he formed The Russian Jazz Quartet with whom he recorded an album for Impulse Records. In the 1960s, Midney married Tania Armour from the Armour & Company family.
Later, Midney became a prolific composer and producer of disco music although he rarely was credited under his own name. Using guises such as USA-European Connection, Masquerade, Double Discovery, Caress, Companion and Festival, Midney produced a large body of disco music. He is recognised as being among the first producers to take full advantage of 48-track recording and one of the creators of the Eurodisco genre. Among his productions were disco adaptations of the Broadway musical Evita and of the score for The Empire Strikes Back.
Describing his disco music, critics Alan Jones and Jussi Kantonen wrote:On the Mount Olympus of disco there are numerous gods but there is only one Zeus and his name is Boris Midney. He's the Stephen Sondheim, David Hockney and Stanley Kubrick of the disco genre all rolled into one.In 1999 Midney released Trancetter, a progressive trance album. In 1999, OZ/Hot Records reissued Midney's entire catalog on CD.
Discography
Music From The Empire Strikes Back (RSO, 1980) Trancetter (Max Music & Entertainment Inc., 1999)
With The Russian Jazz Quartet
Happiness (Impulse, 1964) With Paul Levinson
Twice Upon a Rhyme (HappySad Records, 1972)
As USA-European Connection
Come into My Heart (Marlin, 1978) USA-European Connection (Marlin, 1978) +US Billboard Dance ChartDateTitlePosition1978Come Into My Heart11979USA-European Connection43 As Beautiful Bend
Make That Feeling Come Again! (aka Beautiful Bend) (Marlin, 1978) US Billboard Dance ChartDatePosition19793 As Festival
Evita (RSO, 1979) US Billboard Dance ChartDatePosition19793 As Masquerade
Pinocchio (Prelude, 1979)
As Caress
Caress (Warner Bros., 1979) US Billboard Dance ChartDateTitlePosition1979"Catch The Rhythm"31 As Companion
Companion (Barclay, 1981)
References